The present invention relates generally to stationery products, and, more specifically, to business mailers.
Many companies mail various items to consumers for reply therefrom. For example, billing statements are sent to consumers for payment of merchandise or services.
The typical billing statements is a sheet of paper printed on one or both sides with various information and is sent to the consumer in a suitably sized envelope. The consumer, in turn, returns a payment check to the sender in another envelope.
To improve the efficiency and convenience in paying bills, the sender typically provides a preaddressed return envelope with the original forwarding envelope. Return reply envelopes have various common forms. In one form, the reply envelope is simply a smaller envelope which fits inside the original forwarding envelope.
However, these multiple stationery items including the billing statement itself, the forwarding envelope, and the return envelope must be separately manufactured, separately printed, and then assembled for the original mailing to the consumers. This increases the complexity and cost of the billing process.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide an integrated forwarding and return envelope for reducing complexity and cost in business reply processes.
A duplex envelope includes a face sheet divided into a top page, bottom page, inner flap, and outer flap. A complementary liner is divided into a pocket bonded to the bottom page to define an inner envelope, an inner tab removably bonded to the inner flap, and an outer tab removably bonded to the outer flap. The top page is foldable over the liner pocket for defining an outer envelope closed by the outer flap.